Today marks the beginning of Canada Road Safety Week, a 7-day national campaign aimed at making Canada’s roads the safest in the world. This annual awareness campaign is designed to increase public compliance with safe driving measures in order to save lives and reduce injuries on Canada’s roads.
The focus of this campaign continues to be on behaviours that put drivers, passengers, pedestrians and other vulnerable road users at risk. Despite the fact that most drivers claim to be aware of the laws and regulations related to impaired driving, distracted driving and aggressive driving, many do not appear to fully understand the various behaviours that define each of these infractions and, if they do, some continue to break the rules. This is why this year’s campaign theme is about “Shifting Gears”. We are encouraging Canadians to “think differently” about problematic driving behaviours by broadening their understanding of the rules. We are also inviting them to acknowledge the bad habits they may not have realized they had and to “change their driving behaviours” accordingly.
According to the Canadian Motor Vehicle Traffic Collision Statistics, 2018:
1. In 2018, the number of motor vehicle fatalities in Canada was 1,922, up 3.6% from 2017 (1,856).
2. In 2018, there were 9,494 serious injuries due to motor vehicle collisions in Canada, down 6.1% from 2017 (10,107).
3. In 2018, the number of fatalities per 100,000 population increased slightly to 5.2 (from 5.0 in 2017), yet it is still the second lowest on record.
4. In 2018, the number of fatalities per billion vehicle kilometers travelled increased slightly to 4.9 (from 4.8 in 2017), also the second lowest recorded.
For more information please visit: Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police
